Will MAP mix ok with tocopherol, glycerin, and distilled water? Is the tocopherol a sufficient preservative? How long will this mixture last in the fridge? If anyone has a MAP recipe to share I would be very grateful.

Dakota, I believe the one week is related more to your not using a preservative than to the stability of the MAP. For example, how long would you trust a soup that is stored in your refrigerator to be safe to eat?

Angel,I see what you are saying but............ everywhere I have read about MAP it states that all by itself it is very stable and does not degrade in formulas containing water. This was said about MAP with no mention of it with a preservative. So........I thought if ascorbic acid solution will last maybe 1 week in fridge then with all that I am hearing about the fact that MAP is so much more stable than ascorbic acid surely it must last longer than ascorbic acid. 1 week is not long.

MAP is stable. It isn't it degrading that is the problem. By not using a preservative you are inviting all the little bacteria on your mixing equipment and the mold spores that are floating around to set up shop in your serum. That is the part that that is not safe for your skin and why Hannah said one week. The posts you have seen from others might not mention preservatives but they ARE necessary when mixing actives with water.

Also, you are referring to LAA which I assume is L-ascorbic acid. Just a heads up that the ascorbic acid sold by SAS is racemic, not the L form.

MAP is a stable(r) form of Vitamin C, but chemical stability has nothing to do with rancidity. If you mix anything into water (or water-based) formulations, then you should plan to use a separate preservative, like Germaben. Otherwise, as Hannah suggests, refrigerate and use within a week, or you risk the chance that microbes and other nasty things will grow in it. Yuck.

I would leave the word "rancidity" for oils and butters, but you are right about microbes.

Rancisity of oils and butters can be delayed with antioxidants."Going bad" for a water based product has to do with bacteria and mold using the ingredients as food and growing and reproducing. Most of the stuff growing may be just ugly and smelling bad, some of it may be also dangerous.

Insert Photos

Web address (URL)

Image URL

If your URL is correct, you'll see an image preview here. Large images may take a few minutes to appear.
Remember: Using others' images on the web without their permission may be bad manners, or worse, copyright infringement.